Botany and Ormiston Times : Howick and Botany Times Wednesday December 17 2014

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Howick and Botany Times, Wednesday, December 17, 2014 — 39
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Howick and Botany Times, Wednesday, December 17, 2014 — 39
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Sports clubs to host biggest events
By Daniel Silverton
THE excitement is palpable at
Pakuranga United Rugby Club,
Pakuranga Golf Club and Howick
Pakuranga Baseball Club.
The three organisations have been
selected as venues for the World
Masters Games to be held in Auck-
land from April 21-30, 2017.
Pakuranga United will host the
rugby competition and post-match
functions, while the golf and base-
ball clubs are both one of four venues
to be used across the city for their
respective codes.
“It’s possibly the biggest event
Pakuranga United has hosted,” says
the club’s general manager Steve
Hackett.
Pakuranga Golf Club’s Des Topp
concurs: “This will be the biggest
event the club has hosted of an inter-
national flavour, definitely.
“We have had national tourna-
ments here, but nothing like this
in terms of the number of players
involved in any one day and the dif-
ferent countries represented.
“It brings a lot of kudos.”
World Masters Games (WMG)
organisers claim it will be the largest
event New Zealand will host in the
next decade.
Chief executive Jennah Woot-
ten says 25,000 athletes and 10,000
supporters are likely to converge on
Auckland for the Games.
Potential venues have been in dis-
cussions with their sport’s governing
bodies and WMG organisers for the
past year.
Howick Pakuranga Baseball Club’s
diamonds at Lloyd Elsmore Park
were selected along with fields in
Glendowie, Mt Roskill and Te Atatu.
Pakuranga Golf Club was chosen
alongside the Muriwai, Akarana and
Remuera courses.
“NZ Golf coordinated a group
meeting and at that stage around 10
clubs were invited,” says Topp.
“World Masters Games visited the
clubs and made the decision around
which ones will be involved.
“The visit was mainly about the
facilities and the clubhouse and how
it will accommodate potentially 250-
plus people per day.
“Our car parking and hospitality
area upstairs were key components.
“On the day they were more than
happy with what they saw. It’s all
systems go.”
Auckland Rugby’s bid to have
rugby as one of the 28 sports at the
Games was made in conjunction with
Pakuranga United.
“Auckland Rugby did that initial
proposal through us, knowing we
are one of the better sites to be able
to achieve it and make sure everyone
has a good time,” says Hackett, who
expects the club’s five fields to be
used for up to four games a day.
Games officials were impressed
with Pakuranga’s grounds and club-
rooms, which will also accommodate
the baseball after-match functions.
“They said it was an awesome
venue for what they are trying to
achieve and to be able to host multi-
ple sports.
“The World Masters Games are as
much off the field as they are on.”
Wooten says selection of competi-
tion venues was paramount to deliv-
ering a world-class sporting event
and as such, athlete experience had
been put in the centre of the decision
process.
“We have selected venues that can
cater to the size and scale of com-
petition and showcase our city at its
best.”
Topp is also co-chairman of How-
ick Tourism and expects the event to
be a massive boon for hospitality and
trade in the area.
“It will be a huge influx of people
right across the city, but also because
of the activities out here, it will be
hugely beneficial for the local tour-
ism operators and retailers.
“I think the hotels and motels will
be fully booked for the duration of
the competition.”
Half of the competitors are antici-
pated to come from outside New Zea-
land, and a quarter to be from outside
of Auckland.
“With the history of sport we have
here in New Zealand, we’ll all get
into it,” says Hackett.
Des Topp
Times photo Wayne Martin
“With the history of
sport we have here in
New Zealand, we’ll all
get into it.”
– Steve Hackett,
Pakuranga United Rugby Club
general manager
Howick Pakuranga Baseball Club president Kevin Nepia and Pakuranga United Rugby Club general manager Steve
Hackett are gearing up to host the World Masters Games in 2017.
Times photo Daniel Silverton